When asked to rate RAW against the spy agencies of the rest of the world, the former spy master said, I believe were as good as anybody else. We dont have technical abilities but are fast catching up.

Dulat also upheld that he hasnt exposed any secrets in his book titled Kashmir: The Vajpayee Years and only expressed his views on matters already dominating the public domain.

Earlier in July, in another startling revelation, Dulat admitted Indian intelligence agencies have over the years paid militants and separatists, along with mainstream politicians and political parties in Indian Kashmir to compete with Pakistans spy agency, ISI.

So whats wrong? What is there to be so shocked or scandalised by. Its done the world over, former RAW Chief AS Dulat said, while speaking to NDTVs Barkha Dutt.

Lieutenant-General Rizwan Akhtar took the reins of the chief of ISI in November last year. He took charge from Lt-General Zaheerul Islam as the director general of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), considered by many to be both the most powerful and the most challenging position in the country.

Rizwan, who is the 21st DG ISI, was named for the coveted post in September last year. Before being appointed as DG ISI, Army Chief General Raheel Sharif promoted him to the rank of Lieutenant-General.

In May, Pakistan Army chief General Raheel Sharif directed the countrys intelligence agencies including the ISI to adopt a more proactive approach in order to counter the moves of the hostile spy agencies that are trying to destabilise Pakistan. Gen Raheels statement came two days after gunmen massacred 44 members of the peaceful Ismaili community in a brazen attack on a bus in the Safoora neighbourhood of Karachi. It also came a day after the foreign ministry said that Indian military intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) was using Afghan soil to fuel terrorism in Pakistan.